HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) Drivers had varying expectations and thoughts following the launch of NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge in Saturday night’s Cup Series race in Atlanta.
There is a points race to attend to, after all. Making it to the playoffs and attempting to win the championship are the primary priorities for every squad. Some drivers admit that they haven’t really noticed the new race within the race.
According to Joey Logano, there is no reason to consider the new event a diversion.
Logano stated Friday, just before he secured the pole position for his Team Penske Ford race on Saturday night, “If there’s something to win, you want to go win it.”
In the 32-driver In-Season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style competition, Denny Hamlin is the top seed. The No. 2 seed is Chase Briscoe, who defeated Hamlin last week at Pocono Raceway to record his first victory for Joe Gibbs Racing. As part of a new media rights agreement that includes TNT, the winner will receive a $1 million reward.
After last week’s victory, Briscoe said on Friday that he felt a breath of relief—you know, a weight off your shoulders. That feeling of relief, he claimed, was fleeting.
Briscoe stated, “I’m expected to win more than one race.” You feel relieved, but you also feel more pressure since they know you can win now.
NASCAR thinks the competition will spark interest in the middle of the season. The field is reduced to 16 at Chicago, 8 at Sonoma, 4 at Dover, and the final two at Indianapolis Motor Speedway due to the single-elimination format.
After the race on Saturday night, many drivers anticipate that their interest in the tournament will grow.
Brad Keselowski, who starts the race at number 30 in the points standings and needs to win at Atlanta to secure a postseason berth in his RFK Racing Ford, stated, “I think some of the drivers have been kind of dismissive over the bracket challenge.”
As it moves into the final stages over the coming weeks, I believe it will become much more genuine, whether for the drivers, the media, or the spectators, Keselowski stated.
Ricky Stenhouse, currently ranked 24th in the new tournament’s points race, was added: It’s awesome. You’ll have a slightly better notion of what you have after this weekend, I believe. In Atlanta, winning and qualifying for the playoffs are our top priorities.
Team Penske dominates qualifying
Ford took all five of the qualifying spots, while Team Penske took four of the top five.
Logano tied Wood Brothers driver Josh Berry, who has a technical partnership with Team Penske, for first place at 178.960 mph. For Team Penske, Ryan Blaney qualified third, Austin Cindric was one position behind, and Ryan Preece, driving another Ford for RFK Racing, finished fifth.
“It’s definitely helpful at the beginning,” Logano stated. The thing that is certain is being in the lead and in charge of the race.
Drawing Uncle Noah
In the opening bracket, Briscoe comes up against Noah Gragson, the 31st seed. He claims it’s a challenging competition, partly because he’s my son’s favorite driver and maybe my best friend on the circuit.
According to Briscoe, Brooks, his 3-year-old son, views Gragson as the uncle you take your child to, and when he’s with them, he has Pop-Tarts, ice cream, and everything else.
Briscoe was added: I hope I win. If not, neither Noah nor my kid will ever tell me the end of it.
Briscoe shared a picture of his son’s bracket on his X account. The picture displays a beaming Brooks clutching a bracket in which his father’s No. 19 won each round of the competition.
Racing for Rhealynn
Rhealynn Mills, an 11-year-old cancer patient, created the unique paint job that Chase Elliott has on his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. To draw attention to his foundation’s fundraising efforts for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Elliott selected Mills’ design.
According to Elliott, $500,000 has been raised for the children’s hospital through the Design to Drive initiative.
Elliott said that his sponsor, NAPA Auto Parts, should be commended for donating the vehicle so that Mills’ design could be used for the paint job. “The only bad thing is I feel like we’ve crashed every time we’ve done it,” Elliott said.
New name for Atlanta track
The circuit, which was still known as Atlanta Motor Speedway in February when Christopher Bellwon win while leading just the last lap in overtime, is now called EchoPark Speedway. Elliott, a native of Dawsonville, Georgia, admitted that he found it unusual to witness the name change and the new green paint. It seems fine to me.
Odds and ends
According to BetMGM Sportsbook, Ryan Blaney is the favorite (+800) to win the race. Next came Austin Cindric and Joey Logano, both at +1000.
